Mechanisms of insulin resistance in hypertensive rats

Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are common findings in patients with essential hypertension. Recent evidence indicates that these impairments in glucose metabolism may play a role not only in the development of type 2 diabetes, but also in the onset and persistence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and abdominal obesity. The accumulation of these risk factors constitutes a high-risk group of cardiovascular diseases, the so-called metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance has also been reported in several animal models for hypertension, including the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and the fructose-fed rat (FFR). SHRs and FFRs have been employed in many studies to investigate the mechanisms and pathophysiology of insulin resistance and hypertension, but the precise mechanism of insulin resistance remains to be clarified. In this review, the possible mechanisms of insulin resistance in SHRs and FFRs are summarized.